Corded hearing protective device and method of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

A hearing protective device is provided including a first sound attenuating element, a second sound attenuating element, a flexible elongated member connecting the first sound attenuating element and the second sound attenuating element, and a knot formed in the flexible elongated member, the knot is untied by moving the first sound attenuating element in a direction away from second sound attenuating element.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

(1) Field of Invention

The present invention relates generally to hearing protective devices,and more particularly to a hearing protective device including twoattenuating elements connected by a knotted cord and a method ofmanufacturing the hearing protection device.

(2) Description of Related Art

The use of hearing protective and noise attenuating devices is wellknown, and various types of devices are available including, but notlimited to, ear muffs, semi-aural devices, and earplugs. Earplugs areparticularly preferred for their effectiveness in attenuating sound andfor comfort properties provided thereby.

An earplug generally comprises a sound attenuating element which isplaced in the ear canal of a wearer to provide desired soundattenuation. The sound attenuating element is commonly made of aresilient foam material or a flexible, rubber-like material.

Several types of earplugs are known. A roll-down type earplug typicallyhas a resilient foam body which is rolled by a user to reduce a diameterthereof. A portion of the reduced diameter earplug body is then insertedin the ear canal and allowed to expand therein to fill the canal andprovide desired attenuation. The remaining portion of the earplug bodyextends from the ear canal and provides a handle for removing the plug.A push-in stem type earplug, as shown for example in FIG. 7, includes aresilient body 2 having a rigid or semi-rigid stem 4 embedded thereinand, most typically, extending therefrom. The stem provides a degree ofrigidity to the earplug which facilitates insertion of the plug bodyinto the ear canal. During use, the exposed stem portion of the push-instem earplug extends from the ear canal, thus providing a handle forremoval of the earplug.

Earplugs often include a cord that attaches a pair of plugs and extendstherebetween. See FIG. 1 in which earplugs 10 are shown connected by acord 12. The cord 12 allows a user to hang the earplugs around theirneck or elsewhere when the plugs are not being used. Also, the cordpermanently relates a certain pair of earplugs and prevents against lossthereof.

Conventional cords are commonly designed so that the cord may bepermanently attached to the earplugs and more specifically, each end ofthe cord may be permanently attached to ends of the earplugs. In thecase of roll-down type earplugs, a cord is attached to one end of theresilient body. Push-in stem type earplugs generally have the cordattached at the exposed portion of the stem. Cords may be attached tothe various types of earplugs, for example, by sonic welding or byadhesive bonding.

Corded earplug pairs are often sold in individual packages. For example,a single pair of earplugs attached by a cord are enclosed in a smallplastic sealed package. A user acquires the package and opens the sameto access the corded earplug pair. In this way, an individual pair ofearplugs is conveniently provided to a user while a sanitary conditionof the plugs in the sealed package is maintained.

Several methods of assembling and packaging the corded earplug pairs areknown. With reference to FIGS. 1-4, the cord 12 is first manufacturedand then wound in a spiral fashion so as to form a circular shapedbundle 14. Then a plastic clip 16 may be applied to the cord bundle toretain the circular shape thereof. Particularly, the plastic clip 16 issimilar, if not identical, to plastic clips commonly used to maintainclosure of bread bags. Once the cord 12 is clipped, the bundle 14 ispositioned for connection with the earplugs 10. The two ends of the cord12 are each attached to respective ends of each of the earplugs 10. Asmentioned above, attachment may be made through a welding or adhesivebonding process. The corded earplugs 10 with the clipped cord 12 arethen inserted into a waiting package 18 and the package 18 is sealed.The package 18 is, for example, a small plastic bag having an opening20.

During packaging of the corded plugs, the clip is kept fastened to thecord bundle to maintain a compactness thereof and to prevent the cordfrom unwinding during or prior to packaging. The more compact the cordbundle, the less packaging material is required thus reducing materialcosts. Compactness of the cord bundle during packaging is alsoadvantageous in facilitating insertion of the bundle into the package,i.e. a tight, compact cord bundle is much easier to pass through theopening of the package then a loose or unraveling cord bundle.

However, the plastic clip used to maintain the compact cord bundle isitself a separate product which increases the overall cost of thepackaged corded earplug pair. Additionally, use of the plastic clipnecessitates an additional step in the corded earplug assembly andpackaging process. Further, the clip occupies valuable space within thepackaging, thus the package must be slightly oversized to accommodatethe clip. Accordingly, waste and disposal of the packaged clippedearplug is significant considering the additional piece of the clip andthe required size increase of the package. Finally, the clipped cord isinconvenient for an end user since the clip must be manually removedprior to donning the earplugs. Further, the removal of the clip maythreaten the integrity of the cord in that the plastic clip may containsharp edges which can score the cord upon removal.

Referring now with particularity to FIG. 3, a paper wrap 22 has alsobeen used to retain the cord bundle 14 in place of the plastic clip 16.The paper wrap 22, which is similar to a shoestring wrap or a light tapematerial, is wrapped around the spiral wound cord bundle 14 to retainthe compact circular shape thereof. Then, the earplugs 10 are fixed torespective ends of the wrapped cord 12 and the corded pair is insertedinto the waiting package 18.

Similar to the plastic clip, the paper wrap facilitates packaging of thecorded earplug pair by maintaining the cord in a tightly wound, compactform and preventing against unraveling of the cord during or prior toinsertion of the cord into the package. However, as with the plasticclip, the paper wrap is an additional item which increases the overallcost of the packaged earplugs, necessitates an additional step in theassembly process of the corded plugs, and requires the end user to incurthe inconvenience of removing the paper wrap prior to unraveling thecord. Further, the paper is an additional piece which must be discardedby the end user, thus raising environmental and disposal concerns.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 4, it has also been attempted toassemble and package corded earplug pairs without utilizing a cordretaining device such as the plastic clip or paper wrap discussed hereinabove. In such a process, the cord 12 is first wound in a spiral to formthe circular shaped cord bundle 14. The frictional properties of thecord 12 material are relied upon to retain the cord 12 in this woundposition. The wound cord bundle 14 is then inserted in a waitingpackage. However, the cord 12 does not consistently remain in the woundbundle position, often coming unwound during or just prior to insertionof the cord bundle into the package. Further, compactness of the cordbundle is not obtained in this process requiring a larger package, thusincreasing associated costs and again raising disposal and environmentalconcerns.

Accordingly, there remains a need for a corded earplug pair which may beefficiently and economically assembled and packaged and which may bereadily accessed and used by a user.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The above discussed and other problems and deficiencies of the prior artare overcome or alleviated by the hearing protective device and methodof manufacture of the invention.

In one embodiment of the invention, a hearing protective device isprovided, including a first sound attenuating element, a second soundattenuating element, a flexible elongated member connecting the firstsound attenuating element and the second sound attenuating element, anda knot formed in the flexible elongated member. The knot is untied bymoving the first sound attenuating element in a direction away fromsecond sound attenuating element.

In a further embodiment of the invention, a method of manufacturing ahearing protective device is provided including forming a first soundattenuating element, forming a second sound attenuating element, forminga flexible elongated member, tying a knot in the flexible elongatedmember so as to position the flexible elongated member in a wound bundleincluding first and second opposite ends extending from the bundle, andattaching the first and second opposite ends to the first and secondsound attenuating elements, respectively.

The above discussed and other features and advantages of the presentinvention will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the artfrom the following detailed description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alikein the several FIGURES:

FIG. 1 is perspective view of a corded hearing protective device;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the hearing protective device in a woundand clipped position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the hearing protective device in a woundand taped position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the hearing protective device in a woundposition;

FIG. 5 is a corded hearing protective device according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a depiction of a package for containing the corded hearingprotective device; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a stemmed earplug.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

FIG. 5 shows a hearing protective device 50 including attenuatingelements 52 connected by a cord 54.

In an exemplary embodiment, the attenuating elements 52 comprise a firstearplug 56 and a second earplug 58. The first and second earplugs 56 and58 each include a first end 60 and a second end 62 disposed opposite oneanother. One of the first and second ends 60 and 62 is attached to thecord and the other end is designated for insertion and retention in anear canal of a user. In one embodiment, the second end 62 is attached tothe cord and the first end 60 extends therefrom and is insertable andretainable in the ear canal. The second end 62 also serves as a handlefor adjusting and removing the inserted earplug, and provides anattachment portion at which the cord is fixed.

The earplugs 56 and 58 may be of any desired style and/or construction.For example, the earplugs may be roll-down type resilient foam earplugs,push-in stem type earplugs (as shown, for example, in FIG. 7),pre-molded polymeric flange type earplugs, or any other desired type ofearplug.

The cord 54 is composed of a rubber or plastic material and may be of asolid construction or, alternatively, may have a hollow portion at aninterior thereof. The cord 54, of course may be of any material suitablefor attaching the two earplugs including, for example, string, cottonmaterial, vinyl, etc. The cord 54 includes a first end 64 and anoppositely disposed second end 66. The first end 64 of the cord 54 isattached to the first earplug 56 at the attachment end 62. Similarly,the second end of the cord 54 is attached to the second earplug 58 atthe attachment end 62. The cord 54 is attached to the earplugs 56 and58, for example, by sonic welding, adhesive bonding, mechanical bonding,etc.

The cord 54 includes a knot 68 formed therein. The knot 68 retains thecord 54 in a bundle 70. The bundle 70 is a compact generally curvilinearassembly of the cord 54 for facilitating handling and packaging of thehearing protective device 50. In one embodiment, the first and secondcord ends 64 and 66 are maintained proximate one another in the bundle70. The cord 54 forms a loop opposite the first and second cord ends 64and 66, in the bundle 70, and the knot 68 is disposed therebetween.

The knot 68 generally comprises the cord 54 wound and/or wrapped in anymanner so as to result in the bundle 70. The knot 68, in one embodiment,is a slip knot. A slip knot, for purposes of this application, is anyknot which may be formed in an elongated member having two opposing endswhere the knot may be untied by simply applying opposing forces to theopposing ends of the elongated member.

With respect to the hearing protective device 50, this means that theknot 68 is formed such that the knot 68 may be untied and the cord 54correspondingly unraveled by a user simply pulling in oppositedirections on the first and second earplugs 56 and 58 respectivelyattached to the first and second ends 64 and 66 of the cord 54. Whilebeing easily untied by a user, the knot 68 still supplies sufficientretention properties to maintain the cord 54 in the tight bundle 70configuration. In this embodiment, the slip-knot type knot 68 may beformed by winding a mid-portion of the cord 54 in a circular manner andpassing the first and second ends 64 and 66 of the cord 54 through anopen center of the circularly wound cord 54, thus forming the bundle 70.The bundle 70 is unraveled by a user simply pulling oppositely on theearplugs 56 and 58. Of course, the slip-knot type knot 68 may be formedin any other suitable manner so as to form and maintain the bundle 70and so as to be easily untied by the user.

While the knot 68 has thus far been described as a slip knot, theinvention contemplates any type of knot which is suitable for formingthe bundle 70 and which may be easily untied, and the cord 54correspondingly unraveled, by the user.

The knot 68, as mentioned, retains and maintains the cord 54 in thebundle 70. The bundle 70 is easily and conveniently insertable in anopening 72 of a package 74. The package 74 may be of a plastic materialand, once the bundle 70 is inserted therein, the package 74 may besealed for sale or distribution.

A method of manufacturing the hearing protective device 50 is nowdescribed. First, the attenuating elements 52 and the cord 54 areseparately formed. Then, the knot 68 is tied in the cord 54, thusforming the bundle 70. Next, the attenuating elements 52 are fixablyattached the exposed first and second ends 64 and 66 of the cord 54. Thecorded and knotted hearing protective device 50 is then inserted throughthe opening 72 into the package 74. See FIG. 6. The opening 72 is closedand the package 74 is sealed.

The corded hearing protective device of the invention may be efficientlyand economically assembled and packaged so as to be readily accessed andused by a user. The knot in the cord forms a tight, compact, andmanageable cord bundle to which attenuating elements may be readilyattached. The knot ensures that the cord is held in the bundle, thebundle being of a reduced size, thus simplifying the packaging processwhile minimizing necessary packaging materials. The knotted cord of theinvention does not require additional clips, paper wrap, tape, etc. tomaintain the cord in the bundle. Thus, the invention satiatesenvironmental and disposal concerns by producing less waste since noclip or tape members are required and yet a small package may still beutilized. Additionally, the knot is easily untied thus facilitating auser's access to the corded hearing protective device. In oneembodiment, a slip knot is used such that the user may simply pull inopposite directions on the sound attenuating elements to untie the knot,unraveling the cord and thus accessing the hearing protective device.

While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, variousmodifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to beunderstood that the present invention has been described by way ofillustrations and not limitation.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A hearing protective device, comprising: afirst sound attenuating element; a second sound attenuating element; aflexible elongated member connecting the first sound attenuating elementand the second sound attenuating element, and a knot formed in theflexible elongated member; wherein the elongated member includesopposite first and second ends, and the knot comprises a circularlywound mid-portion having more than two circular windings, the first andsecond ends of the elongated member each forming a loop on one side ofthe circularly wound mid-portion and passing through a center of thecircularly wound mid-portion to extend freely therefrom, and wherein theknot is untied and the circular windings unraveled by moving the firstand second sound attenuating elements in a direction away from eachother.
 2. The hearing protective device of claim 1, wherein noadditional parts are needed to maintain the circular windings of theflexible elongated member.
 3. The hearing protective device of claim 1,wherein the first and second sound attenuating elements compriseearplugs.
 4. The hearing protective device of claim 3, wherein eachearplug comprises a resilient foam body including first and secondopposite ends, the first end for being inserted into an ear canal of auser and the second end being attached to the flexible elongated member.5. The hearing protective device of claim 3, wherein each earplugcomprises a foam element fixed to a stem, the stem extending from thefoam element, the cord being attached to the stem.
 6. The hearingprotective device of claim 3, wherein each earplug comprises apre-molded body of a resilient polymeric material.
 7. The hearingprotective device of claim 6, wherein the body comprises a stem portionand a plurality of radially extending flange elements disposed on thestem portion.
 8. The hearing protective device of claim 7, wherein theflange elements include substantially circular cross-sections and extendfrom the stem portion in a direction toward a rear of said stem portionto form an annular space between the flanges and the stem portion. 9.The hearing protective device of claim 1, wherein the flexible elongatedmember comprises a cord of a plastic material.
 10. The hearingprotective device of claim 1, wherein the knot is a slip knot.
 11. Amethod of manufacturing a hearing protective device, comprising:providing a first sound attenuating element; providing a second soundattenuating element; providing a flexible elongated member; attachingthe first and second sound attenuating elements to opposing ends of theflexible elongated member; and tying a slip knot in the flexibleelongated member; wherein the elongated member includes opposite firstand second ends, and the knot comprises a circularly wound mid-portionhaving more than two circular windings, the first and second ends of theelongated member each forming a loop on one side of the circularly woundmid-portion and passing through a center of the circularly woundmid-portion to extend freely therefrom, so as to allow for untying ofthe knot and unraveling of the circular windings by moving the firstsound attenuating element in a direction away from the second soundattenuating element.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprisingdisposing the flexible elongated member with attached first and secondattenuating elements in a package and sealing the package.
 13. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the first and second sound attenuatingelements comprise resilient foam earplugs formed by a molding processand the flexible elongated member comprises a cord of a plasticmaterial.
 14. The method claim 11, wherein the untying of the knot issuch that, the elongated member is unraveled and the hearing protectiondevice is prepared to he worn by a user.
 15. The method of claim 11,wherein said attaching the first and second opposite ends comprisessonically welding the first and second attenuating elements to the firstand second opposite ends, respectively.
 16. The method of claim 11,wherein said attaching the first and second opposite ends comprisesadhesively bonding the first and second attenuating elements to thefirst and second opposite ends, respectively.